Player: DL Keeanu Benton
Stock Value: Down
Reasoning: At least as far as an extension is concerned, some seem to feel Keeanu Benton could be the odd man out. Despite the fact that he is coming off his best season, he hasn’t really cemented himself as a long-term cornerstone. Going into a contract year, he still has more to prove, though that doesn’t mean this is his last season in the Black and Gold.
Keeanu Benton has had a fine enough career, but perhaps not for a former second-round pick looking for a robust second contract. The fact that debate still persists about where he should actually play is not in his favor, either. If he were playing as well as hoped for, there would be no need to debate where he lines up.
In 17 games last season, Benton recorded 5.5 sacks, having had only 2 combined in his first two seasons. Not only that, but he registered more quarterback hits and tripled his career tackles-for-loss figure. On the whole, he was a more dynamic and impactful player. Importantly, he did a better job of finishing plays, an issue that had dogged him.
But is Keeanu Benton worth committing to for the next five or so years on a big second contract? Has he delivered that kind of promise for the future? Increasingly, it seems that those who cover the team regularly sense that it is not the case. With wholesale changes on the coaching staff, though, that is harder to read.
The Steelers typically don’t engage much in contract talks until the summer, largely in training camp. I would imagine they will want to get a look at Keeanu Benton this summer before they wade into negotiation waters with him, giving the new coaching staff an opportunity to feel him out.
An equally important factor is the reality of business, as the Steelers have a queue for contract talks. First up is surely Chris Boswell, with Joey Porter Jr. close behind. They may also want to talk with Nick Herbig and Darnell Washington, so are the pockets deep enough to accommodate Benton as well?
With the 2025 season behind us and the new league year underway, we still have stock to take. Already promising a year of change, they are shaking things up. That is unavoidable, of course, when you gut the coaching staff. Mike Tomlin’s resignation will fundamentally change this football team, including the playoffs on the roster.
After a long season, we have finally seen that this Steelers team is playoff-bound. But they also showed that their progress was actually minimal, since they made it no further. Two years in a row, with two different quarterbacks, they went 10-7 and lost in the Wild Card Round. The only differences are they ended the season on a higher note and won the division. But it didn’t help.
